Chicago City Wire

Illinois students should be better equipped for higher education and entering the work force through a new Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework the state adopted recently, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

The new PaCE framework establishes standard grade-level milestones for information that students should know after they graduate from high school. ISAC has joined the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) in adopting the framework, which was mandated by the 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. School districts are not required to adopt the PaCE guidelines, but state agencies will use it in their community programs and support.

“The new PaCE guidelines offer a framework that teachers, schools, and others who work with students can use to help improve college and career readiness," Beth Purvis, Illinois secretary of education and chair of the Illinois P-20 Council, said in a press release. “We are pleased to support this important cross-agency effort to ensure middle and high school students have academic and work experiences that support them and their families in making well-informed plans and decisions for their adult life.”